Ruth H. Funk
Encyclopedia
Ruth Hardy Funk was the seventh general president of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1972 to 1978.
, Illinois
, Ruth Hardy was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah
. She was a talented musician and excelled at classical piano. She attended the University of Utah
and earned a degree in music in 1938. On December 31, 1938, Ruth married Marcus C. Funk in the Salt Lake Temple
. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Chicago so Marcus could attend the dental school at Northwestern University
.
When Funk moved back to Salt Lake City, she became a member of the general board of the YWMIA. In 1972, LDS Church president Harold B. Lee
asked Funk to succeed Florence S. Jacobsen
as the president of the organization. During her administration, the Young Womanhood Recognition and the Personal Progress
programs were initiated. In 1972, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association were merged and renamed Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women
. This merge was only temporary, however, and in 1974 the organizations were separated again and renamed the Young Men
and the Young Women
. In 1978, Funk was released and was succeeded by Elaine A. Cannon
.
After her tenure as Young Women president, Funk served as the chair of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Utah and has been a member of the board of directors of Bonneville International Corporation. For eight years she served was a member and chair of the Utah State Board of Education.
She died peacefully in her Salt Lake City home on February 5, 2011, surrounded by her children.
Funk is a descendant of prominent nineteenth century Mormon
George Reynolds
.
Biography
Born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Ruth Hardy was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. She was a talented musician and excelled at classical piano. She attended the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and earned a degree in music in 1938. On December 31, 1938, Ruth married Marcus C. Funk in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Chicago so Marcus could attend the dental school at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.
When Funk moved back to Salt Lake City, she became a member of the general board of the YWMIA. In 1972, LDS Church president Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee
Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :...
asked Funk to succeed Florence S. Jacobsen
Florence S. Jacobsen
Florence Smith Jacobsen was the sixth general president of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1961 to 1972.-Early years:...
as the president of the organization. During her administration, the Young Womanhood Recognition and the Personal Progress
Personal Progress
Personal Progress is a goal-setting and achievement program within the Young Women Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
programs were initiated. In 1972, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association were merged and renamed Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women
Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women
Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women was the name of an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1972 and 1974. It was formed by combining the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association into one consolidated...
. This merge was only temporary, however, and in 1974 the organizations were separated again and renamed the Young Men
Young Men (organization)
The Young Men is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and the Young Women
Young Women (organization)
The Young Women is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. In 1978, Funk was released and was succeeded by Elaine A. Cannon
Elaine A. Cannon
Elaine Anderson Cannon was the eighth general president of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1978 to 1984. Cannon has been a writer and an editor and is the author of over 50 books.-Biography:...
.
After her tenure as Young Women president, Funk served as the chair of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Utah and has been a member of the board of directors of Bonneville International Corporation. For eight years she served was a member and chair of the Utah State Board of Education.
She died peacefully in her Salt Lake City home on February 5, 2011, surrounded by her children.
Funk is a descendant of prominent nineteenth century Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
George Reynolds
George Reynolds (Mormon)
George Reynolds was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a longtime secretary to the First Presidency of the LDS Church, and a party to the 1878 United States Supreme Court case Reynolds v...
.
External links
- Sarah Jane Weaver, "Building on a Firm Foundation for Latter-day Saint Young Women: President Monson Lauds Legacy of Former Mormon Church Auxiliary Leaders," Church NewsChurch NewsThe Church News is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the Deseret News and the MormonTimes , a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Nov. 26, 2009 - Neylan McBaine, "From Concerts to Correlation: Ruth Hardy Funk," January 18, 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Ruth H. Funk, "Come, Listen to a Prophet’s Voice", Ensign, Nov. 1978, 106
- Ruth H. Funk, "Ready to Receive," May 28, 1974, BYU Devotional